botch up
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
To ruin, mess up.
Register: informal
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
What the school books say about the united efforts of the two great Rossums is all a fairy tale. They used to have dreadful rows. The old atheist hadn't the slightest conception of industrial matters, and the end of it was that young Rossum shut him up in some laboratory or other and let him fritter
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “botch up” mean?
To ruin, mess up.
Is “botch up” formal or informal?
botch up is generally informal.